Changing History: Increasing Your Chances for Success

Blogged By:

David A. Hinson, National Director

Greetings!

The Obama Administration and the Department of Commerce are committed to creating a level playing field so that all American businesses have a fair shot at creating the jobs Americans need and exporting the goods and services the rest of the world demands. At MBDA that commitment translates into giving minority entrepreneurs the tools and resources they need to succeed and opening up opportunities, often in areas where they have had limited success in the past. Winning federal contracts is a great example.

The federal government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the United States; its annual contracts total more than $500 billion. For decades minority-owned businesses have worked hard to gain access to federal contracts, but far too often, despite their best efforts, they were unable to consistently win those contracts.

This has been a source of frustration both for the minority business owners who seek federal contracting opportunities and the federal agencies that have tried hard to expand opportunities for minority-owned businesses.

In March, MBDA took a step toward changing that history when the Department of Commerce and the Minority Business Development Agency opened the MBDA Federal Procurement Center (FPC). This Center is the direct result of President Obama’s pledge to expand contracting opportunities for minority-owned businesses.

The Federal Procurement Center

Our newly opened Federal Procurement Center in Washington, D.C. is the first business center of its type in the nation that will assist minority-owned businesses in competing for and winning federal government contracts.

Providing minority entrepreneurs with access to the key relationships to enhance their chances of winning.

Finally the MBDA FPC will be an advocate on behalf of minority business owners who believe they have received unfair treatment.

The FPC joins MBDA’s national network of 39 Business Centers around the country that provide minority-owned businesses with the tools they need to grow, create jobs, enter new markets and become more competitive in the 21st Century global marketplace.

It takes MBEs from first steps to requesting a face-to-face debriefing at the end of the solicitation process, in order to learn what they can do better next time. This information, together with the new Federal Procurement Center, gives minority-owned businesses the information and support they need to increase their chances of success.

Export Fact Sheet

When it comes to exports, minority-owned businesses have a competitive advantage in global trade based on their cultural ties, language skills and nimbleness. According to the 2007 Survey of Business Owners, minority-owned businesses are twice as likely to export compared to non-minority firms. In addition, minority firms are more than three times as likely to have businesses generating 100 percent of all their sales in exports compared to non-minority respondent firms.

You can read more about how U.S. minority-owned firms enhance our country’s global competitive advantage through exports: